News

Cleveland (April 4, 2011) - At its annual meeting on April 4, the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture board of trustees elected officers for 2011-12. Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) Executive Director Sari Feldman was unanimously elected board president, succeeding CAC’s founding board president Steven Minter, Executive-In-Residence at Cleveland State University.

Feldman has headed the county’s nationally recognized library system since 2003. She also recently completed a term as the president of the Public Library Association, where she advanced library literacy and advocacy initiatives, and represented the organization nationally and internationally. “I’m honored to have been selected by my colleagues,” said Feldman. “I want to thank Steve Minter for his thoughtful and steady leadership since CAC was created by the voters of our county. During challenging times, Steve helped create the strong foundation for CAC’s important work to support arts and culture, and I look forward to working with him during my time as board president.”

“It was a privilege to serve as board president for the past three years,” said Minter. “I’m proud of the organization that CAC has become in such a short time, and I look forward to continued service on the board under Sari’s leadership. I know that this board and CAC’s excellent staff will continue to help the organization move forward and evolve.”

Executive Director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations Chris Coburn will continue as vice president, and Executive Director of the Fairfax/Renaissance Development Corporation Vickie Eaton Johnson will continue to serve as secretary.

“This is an exciting time for CAC,” said Executive Director Karen Gahl-Mills. “We were fortunate to have Steve’s knowledge and guidance as we the organization formed and became established as Ohio’s largest public funder of arts and culture. Now I look forward to working with Sari, who brings her expertise in leading one of our county’s largest and most respected cultural institutions.”

CAC is a political sub-division of the State of Ohio that collects a dedicated tax on cigarettes sold in Cuyahoga County, to fund local arts and culture organizations. Established by county-wide ballot initiative in 2006, CAC has awarded nearly $65 million to hundreds of Cuyahoga County-based nonprofit organizations that provide accessible public programming. All regularly scheduled CAC Board meetings are open to the public. For additional information about CAC meetings or grant programs, call 216.515.8303 or visit www.cacgrants.org.